


All Misinformation Open To Interpretation

by kjstark



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Canon Compliant, Canon Disabled Character, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Disabled Character of Color, I MEAN I do fix it at the end but everything Does Happen I just make it light, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 09:19:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12429738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjstark/pseuds/kjstark
Summary: And it’s the image of Barnes with a black beanie and a hoodie that really took it for him to connect the dots.‘Fucking Adrian’, he thought.





	All Misinformation Open To Interpretation

**Author's Note:**

> *long relieved sigh* Fuck, it's been a while. Anyways, this came out of a prompt I got on tumblr from [starkfeels](http://starkfeels.tumblr.com/) saying: "“i slept with you the other day and i didnt know we had a mutual friend and now we’re sitting across each other for brunch and it’s awkward because i ran out when you were asleep” au" — I got carried away and only like barely touched the prompt, I know, but still, I like how this came out enough to post it. 
> 
> Also, huge thanks to my buddy CJ ([irondads](https://irondads.tumblr.com/)) for beta-ing this is speed record. (Ps. I'm glad you liked my Rhodey & I love you— I said I wouldn't be fruity again and yet, here I am)

Rhodey manages to kick the door shut while trying to unzip the stranger’s hoodie; later, next day, he’s gonna wake up wondering how a boring meeting in Bucharest ended up with him getting into some guy’s pants in his small hotel room. Later, next day, he’s probably gonna regret this.

 

The guy rolls his tongue down Rhodey’s neck, ending up in the right spot behind his left ear.

 

Yeah, he’s probably gonna _never_ regret this.

 

“You need help with the jacket, man?” the guy – ugh, was it Adrian? – whispers at his mouth, only half-smiling.

 

Rhodey huffs a laugh that’s only half-pathetic and opens his palms, helpless. “It’s been a while,” he says, and he regrets it a second. Too much information, Rhodes.

 

The guy eyes him only slightly, turning his head to one side; he almost looks hesitant and Rhodey doesn’t know if that’s for the better or the worse. He can’t bring himself to say he’d try to stop him from leaving, awkwardly there, but there’s a tiny part of him he feels will sting if the guy goes away before Rhodey can do something about it.

 

Well, maybe not _that_ tiny, if he’s being gracious with himself.

 

“Is that good or bad?” the guy says, but his voice doesn’t sound right. It’s almost like he’s English isn’t rusty enough, and Rhodey isn’t one to make assumptions but as he stands, inches away from his bed, and looks up at the man in front of him, there’s something familiar about him, but Rhodey can’t quite place him.

 

“I don’t know. What do you think?” Rhodey decides instead, cutting the eye contact to shrug, looking at the carpeted floor.

 

The guy rolls his tongue down his bottom lip for a second. “We’ll see,” he says, shrugging and yanking off his beanie and his jacket.

 

He pulls Rhodey by the hem of his jean, towards him, almost sitting on the bed. Rhodey looks down again as the guy tries to take his pants off. In the dim light of the room, he tries to make the guy out but all he sees is the dark, longish, brown hair.

 

“Are we cool?” the guy checks, but he’s looking at Rhodey’s crotch.

 

“Yeah, dude. Just take them off,” Rhodey breathes, taking off his polo shirt. It’s one second later when his pants fall with a thud, stopping, obviously at his feet. Rhodey looks down one more time and almost loses it when he sees the guy just pointedly staring at _him,_ slightly biting his lip.

 

He can’t remember that last time someone looked at him with such a need.

 

With his belly burning, he finishes kicking off his pants, as he launches himself onto Adrian, lying him down on the mattress as he kisses him. He’s about to go for his shirt when the guy breaks the kiss, flipping him to switch sides.

 

There’s a glow on his blue eyes as he looks down on him and well, Rhodey, ever the strategic little man, just knows when to give up the power.

 

Rhodey’s about to reflect on the fact that the guy still hasn’t taken his shirt off and is oddly holding his left hand behind his back when he, unprompted, gets a grip of Rhodey, as he’s dropping kisses on his stomach.

 

He closes his eyes taking in the moment and behind his eyelids all he sees is blue eyes.

 

Later in the night, he’s falling asleep to the soft lips that leave traces on his back, with his head buried in the pillow, while the clock is saying it’s 4AM.

-o-

He’d like to say he’s surprised to wake up alone the next day but he isn’t. He might’ve been out of the game for awhile but things are still done the way they were when he left it. There isn’t even a note but Rhodey can’t dwell much on it as his phone starts ringing.

 

“How’s my favorite Avenger?” comes Tony’s happy voice.

 

“I don’t know. Is Banner still not answering your calls?” Rhodey asks, playfully.

 

“Don’t joke about that. That’s still a touchy subject,” Tony replies.

 

“Hence why I ask,” Rhodey says, standing up to start picking up his stuff.

 

“Seriously, are you gonna report in or what?”

 

“Since when do I report to you?” Rhodey asks, and Tony sighs.

 

“You know what I mean, c’mon. I know the government sent to you whatever exotic destination to do some spy work on possible communist threats but I also know that Steve asked you for intel on our buddy Klaw,” Tony says and Rhodey rolls his eyes.

 

“Does Steve tell you _everything_?” Rhodey asks, pressing on the last bit but Tony just replies with chuckle. “Anyways, all I could gather was that he was last seeing in Egypt, still doing illegal shit. He has a prosthetic now, apparently – kinda makes the whole Klaw thing ironic, but, I guess that’s our lives now,” Rhodey shares.

 

Tony hums and stays silent for a bit. “I’ll tell Cap, then. Though he’s still busy with some folks in south Brazil—hey, when are you joining in, by the way? His question, not mine,” Tony asks, fast.

 

Rhodey smiles as he looks out the window. “I don’t know. I have to wrap this up here and then I’ll meet you at the compound by midnight, deal?”

 

“No can do. I’m at Washington,” Tony says and Rhodey frowns. “I’m doing some press stuff for Pepper. She’s been stressed lately that I’ve left her alone with the whole company and disappear to certain deaths,” he says, but Rhodey knows better.

 

“She’s not wrong but I know when you’re deflecting,” he says. “Besides, I talked to Pepper before getting here and she told me she was busy in Malibu and that you guys are still on that break,” he adds and almost doesn’t laugh when Tony sighs in defeat.

 

“Ugh…I’m in a hearing, sorta,” he says.

 

“A hearing? Why? What’s wrong?” Rhodey asks.

 

“Just, nothing I can’t pay my way out of,—”

 

“Tony…”

 

“Do you ever watch the news, honeybear?” Tony asks suddenly.

 

“When I get some time, yeah,” Rhodey trails.

 

“Well, get some time,” Tony says quietly before hanging up.

 

Rhodey’s about to call him back when a text pops out. _‘Judge’s back. Can’t talk. I’ll see you after you get out of the Pentagon’_

 

The travel back home consists of Rhodey just eating up nearly every news related to either Tony or The Avengers. It’s all a mix of reports of the successful missions Steve and the New Avengers team have had on nearly all of South America and some blogger’s opinion about how they’re one step from turning everything to anarchy.

 

Rhodey’s read almost six articles before he finds it. ‘Polls demand regulations for super-heroes’, says the WHiH report.

 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Rhodey lets out.

-o-

By the time, he gets to the Pentagon, President Ellis is already gone. He gives his superiors his report on the Bucharest mission and is walking to his office, texting Tony he’s home, when Rosa calls him up.

 

“Colonel Rhodes,” the Press secretary says from across the hall.

 

Now, Rhodey doesn’t exactly trust no one in the Pentagon but maybe his lifetime has made him slightly paranoid, but he does remember Rosa asked him once to sign a War Machine poster for her kid so, would it hurt if he asked her about this?

 

“Hey,” he says, cheerful, turning. It must’ve been a weird look on his face because her smile drops just a little. Rhodey readjusts himself as he walks to her to shake her hand. “How are you?” he asks.

 

“Good. You’re just getting in?” she asks and Rhodey nods politely. “The President left about two hours ago,” she adds.

 

“I know. I couldn’t make it earlier,” he says.

 

“Though flight?”

 

“No, I—I took the suit,” he explains.

 

She nods slowly. “Oh, well, then, it’s good to have you back,” she says and is about to leave before Rhodey stands in her way. She startles for a second and then takes a step back as Rhodey takes one too.

 

“Uhm, yeah, just, before you go— I was, uhm, wondering if you could tell me about something,” he says and she blinks at him, waiting. “Something I heard the other day on the news,” he finishes and her eyes go down. “About…regulating the Avengers?”

 

“You know I can’t officially confirm any of that,” she says, not looking at him.

 

“I know which is why I’m not asking you to do so. I mean, it’s just me,” Rhodey says, his arms open.

 

She regards him for a long moment and nods. “Exactly, it is you,” she says, pressing on every vowel.

 

Rhodey’s arms fall to his side as he realizes what she means. “So it is true,” he says.

 

“I didn’t say that,” she retorts, driving her eyes back to him.

 

“You didn’t say it wasn’t, either,” Rhodey says, and then she sighs and lightly pushes him into the corner.

 

“Look, since you’re a liaison to them, we can’t fully trust you on this,” she whispers, almost annoyed. “All I know is that General Ross was assigned to come up with a solution,” she adds.

 

“General Ross? Why? That makes no sense. He has personal issues with superheroes. Did you know his daughter was romantically involved with Bruce Banner, the Hulk?” Rhodey asks her and she waves her hand repeatedly.

 

“Yes, yes, I know. Look, he just offered and then pulled some strings and got the job—,”

 

“Why was there a ‘job’ to take in the first place?” Rhodey cut her.

 

She pressed her lips in a thin line and Rhodey raised his eyebrows at her. “We don’t think they’re reliable anymore,” she says.

 

“You’re kidding—,”

 

“Rhodes…”

 

“Unreliable— Do you remember what happened in New York? –“

 

“Yes, I know. You don’t have to tell me who the Avengers are, my son has a wall on his room with all of you lot painted in it. I know, okay? I know that you’re good, and you mean well, Rhodes, but,” she stops and shakes her head. “It was a matter of time before you had to start answering questions,” she adds.

 

“I don’t mind answering questions. Problem is in who’s asking them,” Rhodey tells her.

 

She sighs. “You told me once you supported gun control,” she trails and Rhodey has to rub the tip of his nose.

 

“This is different. They’re _people —_ ,”

 

“They? It’s funny you exclude yourself, given that you were there in Sokovia,” she says, looking at him in the eyes. Rhodey stays quiet for a while and she drops her defensive stance. “Look, there’s too much damage —,”

 

“Tony’s taken care of that with his new organization, and you know that,” he says.

 

“—it’s not just property I’m talking about. Do you know how many lives have been lost?”

 

Rhodey smiles downwards and shakes his head. “Not as many as they would’ve if we hadn’t been there,” he says.

 

“You sound just like Stark in his hearing today,” she says with a bitter smile and falls silent later.

 

Rhodey sighs. “What’s the stage of the situation, then? Where’s Ross?”

 

“He’s in a Congress in Vienna,” she tells him.

 

“Why Vienna?”

 

“Because America isn’t the only country that has a problem with the Avengers,” she tells him before walking away.

-o-

“Fuck, why Ross?!” Tony whines as soon as Rhodey tells him. They’re sitting outside Rhodey’s favorite sandwich place.

 

“I don’t know. He’s got some pull there. I think him and the President are golfing buddies. They’re gonna make him Secretary of State,” Rhodey says, grabbing a bite.

 

“Bull,” Tony asks, his mouth half open, Rhodey only shrugs. “Why don’t you hate him?”

 

“The man has military vision—,”

 

“Oh, c’mon, you can’t be that blind,” Tony cuts him and Rhodey just chews.

 

“Whatever,” he says after his bite. “What are we gonna do about this?”

 

“Look, I got everything calculated. I’m even getting assistance from this Hogarth woman,” he says.

 

“The really successful lawyer from New York?” Rhodey asks and Tony nods.

 

“She says that they can’t ‘disbar’ us, but we have to give in. Something, at least,” he explains.

 

Rhodey hums and nods. “So what are you sacrificing?”

 

“Am I that obvious?” Tony asks and Rhodey just moves one shoulder up. “I don’t know, Rhodey. Since what happened with SHIELD and Hydra, half of the guys no longer trust any government organization and after the whole Ultron mess, Fury’s been MIA and my popularity with US officials is dropping every second,” he says. “I have no idea what to do,” he finishes.

 

Rhodey sighs, out of ideas, too. “What do the rest of the guys say?” he asks and Tony decides that’s a good moment to grab a bite of his otherwise untouched sandwich. “Tony?” Rhodey calls, readjusting in his seat. “You have told them about this, right?”

 

Tony chews silently and avoids looking at him.

 

“Unbelievable,” Rhodey mutters, falling down again on the seat, rubbing his face with both hands. “Okay, where’s Steve right now?”

 

Tony takes a sip of his water. “Nigeria, I think,” he says, after he swallows.

 

“Ok, you gotta tell him to come back here. We gotta lay low while this thing cools down, you know? Any other incident like Sokovia and they’re gonna come for our necks, man,” Rhodey explains. “Unless it’s literally the end of the world, we sit it all up,” Rhodey tells him.

 

Tony nods, agreeing, and then asks: “Where do you stand on this, by the way?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, I don’t want another situation like what happened when they wanted my suits to repeat itself,” Tony clarifies.

 

Rhodey shakes his head. “That was different. I left you a memo,” Rhodey explains, _again_.

 

“And I missed it, I know. That’s why I’m asking,” he says.

 

Rhodey just shakes his head twice. “It sucks they’re trying to set the terms on something you guys do without their help. It’s bullshit, Tony,” he says and then bites his lower lip. “But, if people do have a problem with us, then,” he shrugs. “We have a duty to at least listen.”

 

Rhodey sits looking at a quiet Tony’s eyes when Happy comes running to them.

 

“There you are,” he says, agitated.  

 

“Happy, what did I tell you about boundaries, this isn’t—,”

 

“You have to come see this right now,” he cuts them and runs back into the interior side of the sandwich place.

 

When Rhodey runs behind Tony into it, his heart nearly drops at the sight. All the eight TV’s in the place are flashing images of the latest attack on the IFID Headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.

 

They’re showing a shot of a crying Wanda – who they’re mostly blaming for the incident - when Tony says: “Happy, get your things ready, we’re going back to the compound.”

-o-

It’s somewhat astonishing —Rhodey muses as he watches the TV in the American embassy unfold the current events happening at the Vienna International Centre — how fast can shit hit the fan.

 

Rhodey reads ‘thousands dead’ and ‘King of Wakanda’ before storming out of the place, right before the TV told him who they were targeting as the primary suspect.

 

So Rhodey appears out of thin air, setting the situation back to control. Cap, the weird catman and the hoodied hobo. Rhodey only barely looks at him from the sides before setting himself on Steve and his stubborn ass. _‘This all could’ve been avoided, you dumbass’_ , Rhodey wants to say but saves it, the cat dude is removing his mask.

 

“Your Highness,” Rhodey says as he realizes who’s standing in front of him. And really, there’s nothing to be embarrassed of; he kicked ass and he did so in front _royalty_.

 

The hoodied suspect is now facing down the floor, and Rhodey’s too busy and too caught up on the massive on-going shit to make the connection. And behind the faceplate, Rhodey remains a secret to the unaware.

-o-

“Good job on getting Barnes,” one of his superiors says on the line.

 

“I’m sorry, who?” Rhodey asks.

 

“James Barnes. Our prime suspect,” he explains.

 

It takes Rhodey about two minutes to gather all he remembers.

 

James Barnes aka a Howling Commando.

 

James Barnes aka the Winter Soldier.

 

Aka former Soviet assassin.

 

Aka Hydra agent.

 

Aka world’s most wanted.

 

And Steve Roger’s freaking best friend.

 

“Wait, was he involved in the bombing?”

 

“We believe he caused it,” he says.

 

“You got proof?” Rhodey asks.

 

“There’s footage. It’s in your debrief package. And the news,” he a little bit condescendingly explains before hanging up.

 

 _‘That’s convenient’_ , Rhodey thinks as he takes the tab to watch the video.

 

And it’s the image of Barnes with a black beanie and a hoodie that really took it for him to connect the dots.

 

 _‘Fucking Adrian’_ , he thought.

-o-

It’s the perfect punchline to the joke that’s become Rhodey’s life. A month ago, he was playing CoD with Sam ‘til four am now he was dodging his shots in an airport in Germany.

 

It’s funny, really. Like, bitterly so but still hilarious.

 

When everything goes black around him, Rhodey wonders how didn’t he see this coming.

 

-o-

 

Seven months have passed since what Rhodey playfully calls ‘Tony and Steve’s divorce chaos’ that changed all of their lives.

 

Seven months of him re-learning to live and give thanks, seven months of Tony rebuilding himself and everything around him.

 

He’s walking out of the gym after his daily morning run on the treadmill when he hears voices coming out of the main hall.

 

“—and you’ll room will be next to Peter’s,” Tony says right before Rhodey’s about to turn in the corner to see who’s new in the compound.

 

“What about me? I still got my old room?” Sam’s voice sounds quietly and Rhodey frowns.

 

He moves quickly in his steps and his eyes land on the three men trailing behind Tony and a guarding Happy.

 

It’s Steve – Sam on his right, Barnes on his left.

 

Panic runs through him for exactly five milliseconds before he backtracks and hides in the hall, his back to the wall.

 

It’s not that he has anything to feel embarrassed about, precisely. He just doesn’t know how to deal with Sam since his accident and even less with Barnes since he realized why he seemed so familiar.

 

There’s the slight burning sensation of dread towards Steve that almost makes him want to make an appearance but his feet won’t move – though Rhodey knows it’s because he’s nervous, not because the exoskeleton stopped working.

 

“What are you doing?” comes Peter’s quiet, pitchy voice.

 

Rhodey startles just barely and turns to him. “Nothing,” he says. “What are you doing here, Pete?” he asks.

 

The boy just shrugs in reply before saying: “Mr. Stark said I could come here whenever I wanted and, I guess New York gets a little unbearable sometimes. It’s quiet here. Plus Vision is great help with homework,” he explains.

 

Rhodey nods once and then waits ‘til he doesn’t hear anything else to take one more look. They’re gone downstairs. “Friday, where’s Tony?”

 

“He’s in the armory, showing the new gadgets to Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barnes,” the AI replies suit. Rhodey breathes too heavy.

 

“Is everything all right?” Peter asks him. Rhodey just waves him off.  “I didn’t know Cap was coming back,” he added.

 

“You and me both, kid,” Rhodey replies.

-o-

“Why didn’t you tell me Steve and co. were coming back?” Rhodey asks as soon as he walks inside Tony’s lab when he knew he was alone.

 

Tony dropped the ear piece he had on and frowned at him. “I’m pretty sure I did. I sent you a text as soon as the lawyers got out of the trial,” he says.

 

Rhodey stared at the horizon. He hasn’t checked his phone in weeks. “What trial?” he asks and Tony just gives him a ‘really?’ look. “Also a text?”

 

Tony nodded with his eyebrows raised. “We don’t see each other that much lately. You got your daily sessions and I’m still trying to salvage Fury’s little dream,” he says like he’s annoyed but Rhodey smiles lightly at him.

 

It’s not that Rhodey is a proud man, he just doesn’t like swimming against the currents. If people don’t wanna be with him, then that’s it. He doesn’t push, just brushes the dust off his wounds and moves on.

 

Tony’s different. Tony bends and twists his personal preferences just for the sake of people he cares about. Tony gets too personal, too soon. And he also forgives easily.

 

Not that Rhodey particularly sees that as a bad thing, it’s just who he is. And he makes sure to be there for Tony when being like that too much bites him in the ass.

 

“We’re having dinner tonight, by the way,” Tony adds a moment later.

 

Rhodey eyes him. “Who’s ‘we’?” he asks.

 

“All of us. The team. The _old_ team,” he answers. “Well, except the ones who’re gone,” he adds.

 

“Nat’s MIA, too?” Rhodey asks and Tony nods with a pout.

 

“It’s fine, though. I’m not even trying to find her,” he tells him.

 

Rhodey’s too focused on the people gone for a moment that it takes him a while to get to who _will_ be attending the dinner.

 

Not only Steve, who he still hates a little, or Sam, who he still doesn’t know how to talk to. But Barnes, who sucked his dick and then Rhodey sent to jail.

 

Damn, he really needs to stop associating Barnes with that night in Bucharest.

 

He really doesn’t need to remember how Barnes grabbed him and held him and drop whispers of kisses on his thighs and his back and—

 

“Rhodey?” Tony calls him and Rhodey takes a deep breath.

 

“I can’t come to dinner,” he blurts out.

 

Tony looks like he just liked lemon. “Why not?”

 

Rhodey bites his lip. He’s blank.

 

Tony moves his hand in front of his face. “Rhodey, stop. Get out of you head,” he says.

 

“I— I just can’t see them. Not yet,” Rhodey says, only a half-truth.

 

Tony looks down and sighs. “Please don’t say that. I— know this isn’t easy, trust me, but I mean, if you aren’t there then I’m gonna be all alone and—,” Tony falls silent without finishing. Rhodey can figure how it goes.

 

Ok, so, maybe he doesn’t have to make a big deal out of all of this. Maybe Barnes doesn’t even remember him. Maybe Barnes hasn’t even made that connection yet.

-o-

Rhodey realizes how naïve he had been way too late.

 

He hasn’t even finished sitting on the table, getting late because he took too much time in the shower, when Barnes’ already choking on his drink.

 

Rhodey sits without further ado and tries to focus on eating. But Barnes is staring at him like he has three heads and Tony hasn’t been a stupid since the moment of his very conception.

 

“What’s going on?” he asks, pointedly looking at Barnes.

 

“Bucky, are you okay?” Steve turns on his seat to look at his mute friend.

 

“Oh, god,” Sam mutters at the other end of the table.

 

“Is he having a stroke?” Scott asks with his mouth full.

 

Rhodey ignores him, then he realizes that’s suspicious, so he swallows and looks at him. “Is something wrong, man?” he asks and manages to make his voice not shaky.

 

Bucky shakes his head slowly but his face isn’t any less shocked.

 

“You look like you’re seeing a ghost,” Peter says, frowning.

 

“I’m fine,” he says, and he stops staring at Rhodey, to look down and look around his plate, like he’s figuring something out.

 

Tony goes back to his story of how upset Ross was to learn he couldn’t do anything to stop them when Barnes blurts out:

 

“Joe!” he yells, his finger only half pointing at Rhodey. “You said your name was Joe,” he says again, thinking nobody maybe will pay attention to him. Poor fool.

 

Everyone turns to him like he just dropped the world’s greatest secret.

 

Hell, to Rhodey it might as well have been.

 

“I don’t get it,” Clint drops.

 

“Me neither. Colonel Rhodes’ name isn’t Joe,” Vision adds.

 

Everyone’s mouths are hanging open.

 

Except Tony’s, who’s nearly crying from laughter. “Oh my god--,” he says as he breathes in after laughing for a full minute. Rhodey’s shaking his head will biting his lower lip. “Really? Really, Rhodey?” he asks him, in a high pitch, his eyes are glassy. Rhodey only feels 75% upset, mostly because he hasn’t seen Tony this happy in a long time. “There’s some twisted irony to this,” he mutters, rubbing his eyes with a smile.

 

He figures ‘what the hell’ when he says, “You said your name was Adrian,” to Bucky.

 

He goes back to eating like it’s not a big deal. So he slept with KGB’s ex-secret weapon, what’s so wrong about that?

 

-o-

 

They’re done eating quicker than Rhodey expected and everybody moves on with the little topic faster than he had hoped.

 

He walks over to Sam, playing pool with Steve as usual, and hands him a beer. It’s a good enough peace offering and the best Rhodey can do.

 

Sam takes it after a while of staring at him and then gives him a little fist bump. “Wanna join in?” he asks after taking a sip.

 

“Maybe after he beats your ass,” Rhodey tells him, pointing at Steve with his chin.

 

Sam laughs at him in good nature but he nods. It’s all good.

 

Rhodey keeps walking until he sees him. Standing outside in the balcony with a glass of orange juice. It’s quite some look, Barnes under the starry sky; a harmless glass of juice with all his dark stance.

 

He doesn’t know what to make of his thoughts as he pushes the door outside open. “Friday, darken the windows,” he asks the AI and she does, making it impossible for anybody to see them from the inside.

 

Rhodey’s taking one step in when Barnes says, not loud but not quiet: “I’m sorry.”

 

“How—,”

 

“You can’t just sneak up on a soviet agent, Rhodes,” he says, turning to him.

 

Rhodey slowly loses his frown. “Wasn’t it former soviet agent?”

 

“You can’t shake that off,” he gives.

 

And really, all Rhodey can do is crack a small laugh. He figures what that’s like.

 

“What I meant to say was…I shouldn’t have left that night like that— I’m not— that’s not what I do,” he explains, and really, that’s not the phrase he expected Barnes to say. But then again, the guy does come from the polite 40’s so… “I just, I really don’t know what came over me. I just know that I was sitting there, out of place for a long time and you— walked in, all American and lonely,” he says and drops a chuckle at the end.

 

Rhodey replies it easily. “Strangers in a strange place,” he agrees and Bucky takes another sip of his juice. It makes feel Rhodey anxious about the two glasses of neat scotch he already downed some thirty minutes ago.

 

“Anyways, I had been away from home for such a while, and you reminded me of someone from my past and I just—I wanted to be close to you as soon as you walked in,” he says, full of honesty. “I don’t just do that, okay? You said it had been a while for you then, well, you weren’t alone,” he adds and Rhodey really doesn’t know what to make of that.

 

Suddenly he feels _too_ sober for this.

 

“So…I’m sorry I left like that,” Barnes tries again.

 

Rhodey walks over to the edge and looks down on the field beneath them, and waits as Barnes joins him on his side. “Look, there’s nothing to be sorry about. I know it’s not ideal, but — we were different people there,” Rhodey says.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“People who can afford to have that. _We_ can’t,” he adds. “People away from all of this shit,” he adds, waving his fingers at the room at his back. “Besides, it’s not like much would’ve happened if you hadn’t left, like,” Rhodey opens his palms. “What would we have done? Have breakfast, tops,” he tells him, with a reassuring smile.

 

Bucky looks in front of him, at the endless row of trees. “Breakfast with you doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he trails off, just leaning to slightly to one side.

 

Rhodey looks at him and can’t help but huff a laugh, nodding. It’s ridiculous. Their whole situation is just ridiculous.

 

“You know what? You’re right. We _should_ have breakfast, we owe that to ourselves,” Rhodey agrees and Bucky mutters a ‘yeah’ as he nods along. “And it will probably also help us get over all of this,” he adds.

-o-

They didn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> I realized halfway through this that I barely even touched the ship-y aspect of this so, if anyone would be interested in an epilogue of them having that breakfast, or anything else (wink wink), I'm all open to suggestions, ya'll know I love this ship more than I love half of my family.


End file.
